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Listening Exercise

Listen to Elsa's Procession to the Cathedral and answer the following questions:

The opera Lohengrin involves the Princess Elsa and the knight of the Holy Grail, Lohengrin.  The setting is that of Medieval Germany, in which Christianity was just beginning to become the dominant religion.  Lohengrin comes to the aide of Elsa, who has become pressured by outside, Norse forces to no longer stay true to the Christian faith.  Ultimately, Elsa and Lohengrin fall in love, but Lohengrin can only remain with Elsa so long as she does not utter or know his name before marriage.  At the point in the opera where this piece takes place, Elsa is processing to the cathedral where she will marry the knight.  The evil forces have secretly given her his name, which she later says to him.  The opera ends as she speaks his name, which he then leaves her on the swam on which he came.

1.)  This piece is a procession of Elsa to where she is going to be married.  The porcession would begin outside the cathedral, and many times, outside of the town itself.  How does the addition of instruments justify this?

2.)  There are several themes in this piece that can mean very different things.  Roughly write where these themes take place (by minutes and seconds) and explain what you think these could represent (note:  this is interpretive, your answers will be graded by quality, not whether or not it is right)?

3.)  Why do you think Wagner would add the tension of the low brass at the end of the piece?

4.)  As Elsa enters the town, and ultimately the cathedral, how does Wagner convey she is at her final destination?

5.)  Write a short essay about what you think Elsa, and the procession, may be experiencing before entering the cathedral (be descriptive and creative!).